The present invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for teaching proper swing tempo. Specifically, acceleration information is used as an aid to swing tempo training. Examples of activities which may benefit from this method and apparatus include sporting activities such as golf, baseball, hockey, and tennis, and non-sporting activities such as swinging a hammer or an ax.
A difficult challenge in swing intensive sporting activities (e.g., golf or tennis) is to perfect a swing and repeat it consistently. The pace of a swing, also known as swing tempo, is an important factor in most swing intensive activities as proper swing tempo is indicative of proper body position and proper body motion. In golf, for example, proper golf swing tempo ensures that golf club head velocity and golf club head position are optimized during a golf swing. As such, a device which assists a golfer in consistently repeating proper swing tempo can be an invaluable teaching aid.
To be effective, a swing tempo training device must provide "real-time" feedback (i.e., sufficiently instantaneous and continuous to allow modification of a swing during the swing). Real-time feedback provides real-time information which allows a person to know during a swing whether swing tempo should be increased, decreased, or maintained.
While a number of swing tempo training devices exist, most fail to provide real-time swing tempo information (making adjustments during a swing impossible). U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,084 (hereinafter "the '084 patent"), for example, discloses a golf swing training device which measures swing tempo by using two parallel infrared transmitters and receivers located in a tee area. By measuring the time between two successive breaks in the path of transmitted infrared beams of light, an average backswing tempo and an average velocity through the tee area can be derived. The '084 apparatus provides swing tempo information only after the golf swing has been completed. Additionally, swing tempo information is not real-time; only average club speed and average swing tempo can be measured. As such, a golfer using the '084 device is unable to adjust swing tempo during a swing. Further, the system is not readily adaptable to applications where the object being struck is moving (as is the case in many non-golf applications).
Another example of a conventional swing tempo training device is U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,577 (hereinafter "the '577 patent"). The '577 patent discloses a swing training device which provides an audible sound representative of the velocity of a golf club during a golf swing. A pair of tensioned vibrational members placed on a golf club vibrate during a golf swing, producing an audible sound with a volume proportional to the velocity of the golf club. Only one sound is produced by the vibrating members, the volume of which is proportional to the club's velocity. This feature makes it impossible to control the device's volume (as a courtesy to other golfers) without changing swing tempo and makes small differences in swing tempo indistinguishable in a noisy environment. As well, the '577 device causes a golf club to vibrate in a manner many golfers may find annoying or distracting.
A need therefore exists for a swing tempo training device which provides real-time feedback that does not disturb others and which does not create artificial vibrations during a swing.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device which overcomes the short comings of conventional swing training devices and provides a highly effective swing tempo training device which can be used both on an off a playing field, work area, or the like.
First, it is an object of the invention to provide real-time feedback during an entire swing. Such feedback allows a user to recognize and correct improper swing tempo during a swing. Because improper swing tempo is indicative of improper body motion, real-time swing tempo information provides real-time body motion information (i. e., biofeedback).
Another object of the invention is to provide a device which allows swing tempo information to be easily recorded, replayed, and mimicked. For instance, the swing tempo of a professional can be recorded and replayed so that students can learn the professional's swing tempo.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide feedback which allows small changes in velocity of a swinging object to be detected (even in noisy environments) and which does not disturb other participants.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a small-sized swing tempo training device which provides no significant alteration to the aerodynamic properties of a swinging object, which does not induce vibrations during a swing, and which is inexpensive and reliable.